Private Trials of a Master and an Apprentice

[Cadere]

Shadowlands
Kashyyyk

It was time. Yenna had a decent amount of field experience with him and now Cas believed it was time to put that experience to the test - as well as give her guidance on some new techniques. As the Jedi Knight sat on a tree top, waiting in the same clearing he trained with Sakadi some years ago, in arguably one of the most important lessons she had ever taught him, he only thought it was fitting to bring his Padawan to the same spot.

As he waited, Cas went over the lesson plan he had had in mind before tilting his head upward to stare into Kashyyyk's clear skies for today. The weather was very fitting for a day of outdoor training.

While he was definitely excited to pass on a few skills to his little green Padawan, he knew that there was a slight issue. As a Jedi Guardian, Cas was extremely proficient in lightsaber combat and well-knowledged in a few lightsaber forms as well as nearing 'Master' status for Ataru and Shien but there was a glaring weakness in his abilities as a Jedi - his mastery of the Force. The young Knight believed himself to be quite powerful in the Force, at least potential wise, but even he knew his knowledge on the Force's abilities was, as Sakadi would say, 'rudimentary at best' and she was right. Despite all this though, Cas was still determined to at least bestow some of his basic knowledge of the Force unto her - in case she wanted to expand on that in her own time.

Pushing those slight insecurities aside, he remained seated at the treetop and continued to stare into the azure. He was proud at how she had already been making tremendous progress but couldn't help but feel a little guilty that he wasn't there for her as much as he should have been, with her so close to becoming a Knight, he wondered if today could rectify his relative absence in her training. Today would be a trial for both of them.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

To say that Yenna was excited was an understatement. She could probably count on one hand the amount of times they had a lesson in or around the temple and not in the cargo hold of a ship. Hopping from branch to branch into the Shadowlands, Yenna went as quick as her force-enhanced body would allow her. She had a few words to say on his choice of destination for the lesson but she would voice that once she got there.

Her heart was racing as she had a few close calls but she was fully in control. She even scared a few Wookiees on their way down to the Shadowlands to hunt as well. At least they were friendly enough to not put a few bowcaster bolts through her.

When she neared the bottom, she slowed down tremendously and made sure to be a lot quieter. She snaked from branch to branch, not making a noise as she neared her master's location. Her light frame allowed her to not even stir the leaves of the branches she landed on... though there were a few funky flower that she swore were moving towards her. At least they were slow so she could take her time. Once she got close, she tiptoed over to the tree he was sitting on and crouched down on the branch above him. "Hello there." she greeted with a confident grin, dropping down to stand next to him on the branch. "Unless, the memo, you didn't catch...a terrible place for practice, this is. Why you chose this death trap, any particular reason? she asked him with a massive grin on her face.

She jumped up and landed on his shoulders, holding onto his dreadlocks for support as she looked down at him. "So master! Learning today, what are we?" she asked him happily. She had a full flask on her person and was hyperactive as hell. She was ready for this.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Amidst the tranquil chirping of Kashyyyk's avian life forms and the light breeze brushing through the trees, Cas' eyes remained closed as he reached out with the Living Force, connecting him to nature and everything around him. He was so engrossed that he managed to sense Yenna's signature in the Force farther away than he usually would be able to.

Calmly opening his eyes, he looked up at the small green alien "Padawan Yenna." he greeted her with a smile. He listened to her slight objection on the training location before flashing a devilish smile. Once she was on his shoulders, he leapt down from the tree branch and landed gracefully on the grass below, using the Force to ease the landing. Turning to her, he answered her initial question "I do have a good reason, actually." he answered vaguely, before continuing he placed his arms behind his back "This is the place where my Master taught me, probably, my most important lesson ever."

"I got a few things planned for us." he informed her, once she had gotten off his shoulders he'd ask her a question "I wanna ask you something first, kid. How confident are you in a fight?" Cas had seen Yenna in combat, of course she had to use Ataru to compensate for her size but while she had certainly improved in the form, she still hadn't reached her potential yet believing she should expand her combat knowledge with more forms. Heeding the advice Sakadi gave him some years back, he'd explain it to her later.

When she answered the question, Cas would casually pull out and ignite his lightsaber, creating a yellow glow on the ground below them. "Show me how you've improved. No use of the Force, just good ol' fashioned duelling." he winked.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

Yenna held on when he jumped off, giggling from the rush before hopping off his shoulder and landing in front of him. He explained why they were there, making Yenna's curiosity grow more and more. "If ask, I may. The lesson, what was?" she asked him, looking up at him.

He continued on, asking about her confidence in a fight. A smirk formed on her lips as she gave a shrug. "Confident enough." she stated simply as her smirk grew. Her skills were growing more and more with each day. Not only was Cas' teachings helping a lot, but Master Yoda's records was helping as well. She knew she wasn't a master by any means, but she knew she could handle herself.

Cas ignited his lightsaber and Yenna took a step back, unclipping and giving her lightsaber a twirl before switching it to training mode and igniting the neon green blade. With both hands on the hilt, she readied herself in the classic stance. A focused look was on her face as she watched her master's movements. With a deep breath she opened herself up to the Force, channeling it through her to bolster her abilities as well as sharpen her senses. Her feet shifted as she got ready to move. Deciding to open the fight, Yenna leapt up in a somersault through the air, her blade a neon beam coming at Cas. Aiming for his head, she would swing at it while still keeping her momentum.

If Cas blocked it, she would use the impact to propel herself downward to slide between his legs to get behind him. If not, she'd be ready to counter in other ways...

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Listening to her question, Cas chuckled, not at her or the question but at the memory itself. Keeping it vague, he would answer confidently "Well, she taught me not to rely too much on my lightsaber and completely changed the way I fight in both execution and mindset." reflecting back on how he practically soiled himself when Sakadi had came at him hard while he was defenceless, he really had to think outside the box in order to keep out of her clutches.

He grinned at her answer, he was glad she was feeling confident in her abilities, but him of all people knew that confidence wasn't enough. Setting his lightsaber to its training setting, he entered a Shien stance and waited for Yenna to engage first. Channelling the Force into himself, the Jedi Knight would bolster his physical attributes, ready for the spar.

The Kiffar raised his lightsaber above his head, blocking his Padawan's first attack before quickly retreating into a defensive stance once she propelled herself downward. He watched as she passed between his legs, with his free hand he performed a one-handed cartwheel forward, using his lightsaber hand to counter any attack Yenna would pull behind him. Landing on his feet a few feet away from her, he turned to face her "Not using both lightsabers today, Yen?" he quipped as he grasped the hilt with both hands and attacked her in a sweeping motion with his lightsaber, following it up with an overhead attack.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

As she slid between his legs, she took a swing at them. Though he managed to evade her attack as he propelled himself forward. With a simple jump she was back on her feet, giving her lightsaber a twirl as she faced him again. She smirked at his question, not taking her eyes off him. "Easy on you, I was going." she quipped smugly as she summoned her second lightsaber to her free hand. She quickly adjusted its settings and ignited it as well before charging at him with both lightsabers at the ready.

She jumped up again to swing at his head, but quickly used the force to propel herself up towards a tree. Once she came close, she kicked against it and sent herself straight down at him with both blades at the ready. She used one lightsaber with a distraction as she swung at his gut, bringing the other overhead towards his neck once more.

She kept the pressure on him, using one blade to keep him busy while the other swooped in for a strike at him. She kept her momentum up the whole time, jumping around and past him while evading his strikes. She made sure to use her small stature as an advantage, making it hard to land a hit at all. She was confident that she could give him a good thrashing, but she knew her master. There was a catch somewhere in all this.

Wanting to add a little more to the pressure, she used her toes to pick up and fling a rock at his face as she did another backflip over him. A confident grin was on her face throughout the whole fight. She was enjoying this little sparring session.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

"Oh, word?" he quipped back, a broad smile flashing on his face as she took out her second lightsaber. He adjusted his footing as she rushed toward him once again, he prepared to counter her attack but was surprised to see she had propelled herself up to a nearby tree. She had definitely gotten better, she had adapted to his ways of unconventional fighting - the Kiffar quickly twisted his lightsaber, its tip facing the ground, as he blocked Yenna's swing at his gut before swiftly taking a small leap backward to avoid her second attack.

She was really making him work for this. Good. Cas stayed on the defence, blocking or acrobatically evading any attack she threw at him as she moved like a green blur. He was pleasantly surprised, her movements reminded him a lot of Grandmaster Yoda's - Yenna had really been doing her research, she'd make for an excellent duellist one day.

The reason why Cas had stayed passive in this duel as opposed to his usual aggressive style was to analyse the Padawan's duelling style and to see any improvements she had made since he had last seen her fight. She had really been impressing him, but when she flung the rock at him - he tightened his grip on his lightsaber and quickly jerked his head to the side, avoiding a rock to the face.

Placing both hands on the hilt of his lightsaber, Cas finally began to go on the offensive. Finally reading her pattern, he learned to evade her first attacks and keep his attention more on her follow-up ones. With her next attack Cas swung his lightsaber horizontally to block her first attack and unleashed a heavy counter, the Hawk-Bat Swoop, before she could even retaliate with a follow-up attack and following Cas' attack he quickly back stepped in order to avoid any retaliation.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

Her last trick seemed to get some life out of him. He effortlessly dodged her rock but what he did next made her smile. He evaded her double attacks. Every shot he blocked, she used to send herself over, around or underneath him. She kept moving around, making sure that he couldn't land a shot on her.

She took a swing with her first lightsaber which she expected him to block... however his follow-up was something she didn't see coming. His blade came at her and she had no option other than to block the powerful strike. It sent her back but she quickly recovered, landing on a tree branch above him. Though only after she landed did she notice that her other lightsaber was lying on the ground way off to the side. Breathing heavily she glanced at it then at him. A nervous grin formed on her lips as she looked him over, keeping her lightsaber safely pointed away from herself as she sat hunched over on the branch. "Call it a draw, we will." she quipped with a chuckle. It wasn't that she was afraid of him, she knew that she wouldn't be able to beat him. Her issue was the constant usage of the Force combined with her rather impressive acrobatics. Her body wasn't used to working this hard for such prolonged periods.

If her master allowed it, she'd extinguish her blade and elegantly drop down to pick up her other lightsaber. "So? Make you work a bit, did I?" she asked him with a rather confident grin. She was hoping that her constant studying of Master Yoda's style was showing.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

After disarming her, he tilted his head up to look at Yenna in the tree above. A smirk formed on his face when his Padawan was ready to call it a draw, extinguishing his amber blade he jerked his head, gesturing for her to come down. Once she did so, he clipped his lightsaber to his belt and he lowered his fist toward her "Made me break a little sweat, almost clocked me a few times too." he chuckled.

Once they touched fists, he'd bring both arms up to his chest and cross them over each other "I gotta say, kid... you're showing a lot of progress. Was almost like I really were fighting a young Master Yoda." Cas complimented her, while he was sure a Yoda in his prime would thrash Cas any day of the week he did have to admit that Yenna's style was strikingly similar, an almost perfect recreation of Yoda's training reels.

Now for the pointers he felt she deserved to know "While you have for sure improved, as a good instructor would... I gotta give you some pointers." he stated, a sympathetic tone in his voice, constructive criticism made him feel guilty "While you gave me a bit of a hard time, your style got a little predictable after a while, and that's something you don't want. My Master once told me to never stick to a single form and that "chains of different sequences and flawed techniques are far more effective in actual combat."" the Kiffar explained, recalling perfectly what Sakadi had told him years ago. He pulled out his lightsaber again, igniting it and performed a slight demonstration with some Ataru manoeuvres "An example: I usually go with Form IV but if I see a battle is going against my favor, I'll switch to a more defensive style to conserve energy instead of meeting them head on." he explained while simultaneously weaving some Shien moves into his demonstration.

Deactivating his lightsaber, he clipped it to his belt once more before folding his arms again. Cas knew that with Yenna's size it would be difficult to hit her anyway but at dire times when she ran out of energy, he knew she'd need something else to fall back on. With the Force, Cas levitated a few stray rocks and twigs that surrounded the area, leaving them in stasis behind him "Wanna show me how good you are on the defence? If you're in a room full of blaster carrying foes, I gotta make sure you can handle it." the Jedi Knight stated. When she was ready, he'd hurl a single rock or twig at her with the Force.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

With a giant grin Yenna brought a tiny fist up and pressed it against his, happy that she made him work a little. She stepped back and looked up at him as he commented on her fighting. It was certainly a big boost of confidence to hear her being compared to what was quite literally her gold standard now. Though she knew for a fact that there would be critique. She was still very inexperienced with her forms.

Her smile faded somewhat as he explained away, though she swallowed the hard news that he gave her. He listed the issues he saw in her form and she agreed completely with him. She took a step back to watch what he wanted to show her. Once he extinguished his lightsaber, she cleared her throat and approached again. "More forms, learn, I want to. At the Makashi form, I was looking. Figured, perfect for my size, it would be. Also, as I understand, less energy, it uses. Which can help a lot." she admitted with a shrug, looking up at him. She knew that a good Jedi knew all the forms. But with her small stature, she neglected the others a lot. A mistake that was highlighted for her quite clearly now.

Cas used the force to pick up a few rocks, asking about her defense capabilities. She gave a confident nod, taking a step back and igniting a lightsaber again. "Ready, I am." she stated as she assumed another Ataru pose. A rock came at her and she managed to step out of the way easily enough. A twig came at her and she extinguished her blade as she hopped out of the way, reigniting it once she was a safe distance away. While she was still relying on her fighting form, she was also taking full advantage of her stature. She kept herself small and kept moving, managing to evade the majority of the projectiles coming at her. The faw they she couldn't evade, she cut down with her lightsaber. At least she was faring a lot better with this exercise than the previous one. It was also quite clear that she was having quite a bit of fun, taking advantage of her impressive acrobatics to hop all over the place.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Pleased to hear her eagerness to learn more forms, he flashed her a toothy grin "You're right, I think that'd be perfect for you. Plus you're smaller as well." he said with a hint of childlike glee. He didn't realise that Makashi could be a good Form for her to fall back on should Ataru fail, as Form II focused less on brute strength and more fluidity, which could work to Yenna's advantage. Cas was knowledgeable in Makashi but not a master, although he was sure he could teach her a few tricks some time.

Returning to the training, Cas was once again at his Padawan's efficiency to avoid or deflect the incoming projectiles - but it wouldn't be this easy for her in the field, she'd need to be able to work under even more pressure. Instead of hurling a single rock or branch one after the other, the Knight began to increase the amount of objects he'd throw at her at a time as well as increasing the speed at which they were thrown at her. As he watched her evade the projectiles, he couldn't help but be reminded of himself as he too preferred to acrobatically evade things - it made him wonder, was she adapting some of his style too? Regardless, it was good to know he must have been doing something right as a Master.

Once Cas deemed the task over, he casually dropped the hovering objects. As the collective sound of the rocks and twigs filled the area, Cas approached Yenna still proud of her, regardless of her performance in the second half of her defence training. "Good job, you handled yourself well." he said, complimenting her with an affirming nod and smile - she had definitely proved she was well on her way to becoming a proficient duellist, now he had to see how well her Force mastery was.

Watching her small frame with a serious look, Cas folded his arms again "I know your Force mastery isn't that great and it's my fault, as a Jedi Guardian I put too much focus on lightsaber training and neglect the Force too much. So, I'm going to break the cycle today by getting you started on your Force mastery." the Kiffar affirmed, pausing for a moment and then adding a question "What would you like to learn? Some telepathy? Some telekinesis techniques? Your call." concluding with a warm smile.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

After the first few projectiles, Yenna figured that the worst was coming. No way would he go that easy on her. Sure enough, the objects came at her much quicker and with more volume the longer she kept dodging. Thankfully she was pretty damn good with this part of the training. Once he was done chasing her around with rocks and sticks, she finally extinguished her lightsaber and caught her breath.

She flashed him a big smile as he congratulated on her good performance. If there was one thing she had gotten good at over the years, it was not getting shot. Though she could tell something was bothering him when the smile faded and he stared at her like he stole another bottle from her quarters. Though before she could say something, he admitted that he faltered in her training somewhat. He hadn't admitted it fully to her yet, but she knew well enough why that was the case... and she knew that it wasn't fully because he primarily focused on lightsaber usage. Regardless, she didn't mention anything despite giving him a look and smirk that suggested she knew that he wasn't telling her the whole truth. He continued on, asking what she wanted to learn. "Ummmm... yes?" she spoke up with a nervous laugh. "In a spot, you're putting me!" she called out as she laughed.

She fell quiet as she looked up at him, deep in thought. "Telepathy, best, I think is." she finally decided with a confident nod. She didn't have a guarantee of how her performance would be, given how she had been channeling the Force almost permanently in their practicing. But she wasn't going to falter now. This was her first proper training with Cas that didn't have some weird situation going with it and she was going to milk it for all she could.

Using the Force, she pulled his datapad from his pocket without effort and unlocked it, checking his notifications as she paced around a bit. "So master? Start, how do we?" she asked him with a mischievous smile as she locked his datapad again and floated it back to him. It was an overplayed joke by now but she was never going to get tired of it.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

He watched her as she deliberated, giving her a playful shrug as she jokingly complained that he'd put her in a spot. After waiting patiently, he flashed her a smile once she had decided what she wanted to learn - this was reminding him even more of his lesson with Sakadi. Quickly going over ways in his head to begin the training, he neglected to notice that Yen had swiped his datapad with the Force until it was hovering in front of him.

Eyebrows curling into a frown, he snatched his datapad back through the air "When's this joke gonna die, kid." he complained with a semi-playful eye roll. "Good question." he answered, hooking his fingers to his softly shaped chin - it was a good question, how would they start. Thinking back to his first lesson with Sakadi all those years ago he remembered that she had actually started off their training with defence. Remembering how quickly he failed and the uncomfortable sensation of having one's mind attacked - he opted not to try that on Yenna first.

"We're going to start with something simple." Cas stated, finally deciding on what he'd start with "Alright, I'm going to have you try and read my mind but there's a twist, you gotta read my mind before I perform an action myself." the Kiffar revealed as he clapped his hands together. "Reading someone's mind is similar to sensing someone's feelings through the Force, except you'll be probing their mind. For now, I'd say focus on our bond through the Force it should be easier for you as we're master and student." he explained, eyes focused on hers with warmth and friendliness "Focus, really focus on the Force, on our bond and on me." he advised her with a smile.

Moving his arm, Cas would telegraph to his Padawan that he was going to reach for his lightsaber hilt. Yenna was a quick learner, he was certain she'd find out fast.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

Yenna snickered away at his quip, letting him take back his datapad. "When I die." she retorted with a mischievous wink. Cas took a moment to figure out how to teach her telepathy. He finally thought of something, explaining the process to her. He told her to focus on their bond and she did so with a nod. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused hard on their relationship. She could feel something happeing, as if she could see into his mind. It was bizarre to say the least... though there was something else she could feel coming from him.

Then a shift happened, getting her mind back in the task at hand. Yenna picked up on it but was still too slow to stop him from reaching his lightsaber. In her haste, she reached out and released a push hard enough to knock him back a few feet. "Sorry!" she called out as she nervously scratched the back of her head. "A little, I panicked." she admitted with a chuckle as she looked up at him. Her eyes focused on his, contemplating what it was that she felt from him.

Taking a chance, she chose to pursue it. "Master... alright, are you?" she asked him gently. "Something bothering you, I felt. Troubling you, is something?" she asked him further, starting to grow concerned for her master. She knew a bit about his personal life, but he still preferred to play his cards close to his chest. Did something happen that was still weighing him down?

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas felt as his Padawan began probing his mind while he telegraphed what he was about to do. What he didn't see coming was Yen using telekinesis to push him, completely unprepared for it he took on the full blast of her push which knocked him onto his back. Skidding across the floor, Cas laid there for a moment coughing through the dust that had built up from his fall.

The Kiffar rose into a seated position, one eye closed he looked at his apprentice with a puzzled expression "Force push first, ask questions later. Got it." the Jedi quipped through a hearty laugh "Good job nonetheless." Cas complimented her. Getting up to his feet, the Knight dusted himself off, patting his arms, legs and shoulders before walking back over to Yen.

Yen had her contemplative look written on her face, prompting Cas to raise an eyebrow "What's on your mind?" he asked, voice softening. He let out a long sigh at her question "Probed further than you were supposed to, huh?" he asked rhetorically, sounding slightly annoyed but he quickly checked himself "I guess I can't be mad at it. It was your first time." the Knight relented with a weak smile.

Her question was a loaded one... where to even begin. Resting his hands on his hips, he let out another sigh as his head tilted upwards in search of the clouds. Cas had had a lot on his mind lately, the nightmares he'd been having about a Dark side practitioner, Sam and Mat's breakup, Cas helping Sam figure out what to do, responsibilities as Yen's master and as a Knight... and then... Tess. He was still hurting. Sure, they had closure sex but... it was never going to be that simple. Finally gathering his thoughts, he looked down at his Padawan and sat on the floor with his legs crossed "Yep. I'm sitting on the floor. This'll be a big one." he said through a weak laugh.

"I've got a ton on my plate that I don't need to burden you with, kid." Cas said, pausing for a moment "But... I can tell you one thing. An explanation I've owed to you for a while. You remember Tess? How I said she was special? Yeah, well, it didn't take a genius to figure out we were a thing... a secret thing... but a thing." he admitted remorsefully "It ended. Badly. I mean, we're on good terms now but... I don't know, I guess I haven't fully recovered from it yet. Not to mention all the other crap I'm dealing with isn't helping." Cas concluded, laughing awkwardly at his predicament "Haven't lost my mind yet though, so I gotta be doing something right." he joked, chuckling at himself.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

At least he wasn't too annoyed by her overreaction, which she appreciated. But he did seem a bit bothered that she picked up on his mental state. He sat down on the ground and she joined him, sitting down right in front of him with concerned eyes. He finally let her in on some of the stuff that was bothering him. She remained quiet as she looked up at him, listening to his confession. He finished, trying to break the tension with a laugh, but Yenna didn't fall for it. She knew by now how he used his humour to prevent situations like this.

She slowly got up, walked onto his lap with her tiny legs supporting her on his thighs, then gently took hold of his shirt collar with both hands. "Master, burden me, you won't. Eating you up, I can see this is." she admitted gently, gazing at him with her big golden eyes. "Between you and Tess, what happened, I do not know. But, about you, I worry." she continued, trying not to get too close to him. She didn't want to make him suffer via her alcoholic's breath. Leaning back slightly, she gave him a reassuring smile. "An ear or shoulder, you need, I am here." she spoke softly.

She started to snicker as she looked away for a moment. "A drinking buddy as well, if you need, where to find me, you know." she joked, looking back at him with a toothy grin. She let go of his collar and instead wrapped her arms around his neck in a gentle embrace. She couldn't give a strong hug even if she tried. She let go of him and raised a foot up that was -quite sneakily- holding his lightsaber. She took it with her hand and held it out for him to take back. "Need you, I do. A bad hangover, if I have, nobody else I have to take care of me." she joked as she hopped off him and took a step back to give him some room. "Go again, can we? This time, get it right, I want to." she asked him with an optimistic look in her eye.

It was still funny for her to look back on their relationship and see where they started. In the beginning, she was tempted to ask for another master. But now there was little she wouldn't do to help him out, no matter what the issue was. She hoped that she could rely on him as well when her own problems started to become even too much for her own chipper personality. The thought of that reminded her of something that she figured would be appropriate for this particular moment. "Master... a question, I have." she started. "Off my... habit... I want to get." she started to explain, bringing out her flask to look down at it. "Go about that, how do I?" she asked him as she looked up at him with a nervous look in her eye.

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

Cas averted his gaze, turning his face away, a staple of his, he found it difficult to make eye contact with others when he was in emotional turmoil. However, despite not meeting her gaze he listened to what she had to say. He appreciated her kind words, truly - but sometimes, he felt talking didn't help the situation regardless of hos hypocritical he knew he was being.

However, he didn't want to disappoint or disregard his Padawan's attempts. A small smile crept on the corner of his lips at the prospect of them being drinking buddies. After she concluded, he returned her hug before rolling his eyes as he felt her sneakily take his lightsaber - despite her normally being good at swiping his stuff, his lightsaber was practically another organ on his body and he knew when it was being touched, fiddled or taken away.

Taking his lightsaber back, Cas stood up and clipped it back to his belt "Yep, let's go again." he said with a slightly stronger smile. His smile grew when Yenna mentioned wanting to quit her drinking habit, concerned for her health as an older brother would, he had waited so long for this moment and he was happy she wanted to take the steps to end it. The Kiffar wrapped two fingers around his chin as he made a humming noise to convey his 'deep thought'.

"Firstly, I suggest you stop accepting alcohol from Adrian. Guy's such a bad influence on you... and I think he has a crush on me." he joked, trying to bring light to the situation before his face turned serious again, "Okay, seriously, I guess the first step would be to get rid of any alocohol you have. No temptations and all that. Or... maybe don't stop all at once? Slowly remove it from your system by decreasing the amount of drinks you have a week before removing it entirely, y'know? Or maybe find a substitute like soda?" Cas proposed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've got a lot of ideas, we can brainstorm later." he assured her with a smile.

Now, back to training. Cas looked at Yenna sternly "Alright, you ready? I'll make it simpler this time. Guess what number I'm thinking of." he ordered, reflecting back to the first time he practised telepathy with Sakadi fondly.

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

Listening to what he had to say, Yenna made a mental note of every tip he had for her. It was stuff that she had heard countless times before and even tried a few times... but honestly, she never followed through every single time she tried. Perhaps the trick wasn't to do it alone. Perhaps doing it this time with Cas' help was going to be her breakthrough. "A crush on everyone, he has. Thankfully not me... I think." she joked softly as she looked at him. "Almost done, my stash is. Ordered refills, I haven't. One full bottle, I have only. Give it to you, I'm going to. Hold it, so you can. I heard that... stronger, temptations make you." she admitted as she glanced down at her flask. Biting her lower lip, she stopped herself from taking a sip as she slipped it back into her pocket.

She pushed her thoughts aside and looked back up at him. He gave her the next instructions and Yenna gave a nod. Stepping back, she stared up at him with complete focus. She gazed into his eyes as she shut everything else out except the Force. After a few seconds, she spoke up. "Seven!" she shouted at him with a victorious smile. She was confident that it was even. That was what the voice in her head told her.

With a confident smirk on her face, she looked at him with folded arms. "So? Right, am I?" she asked him, expecting good news...

Cadere

 

[Cadere]

"I envy you." he lamented with a frown, Yenna was truly blessed to not be the subject of Adrian's advances. Jeez was it annoying. He placed his hands on his hips and listened intently as Yen explained that she would be giving him her last bit of alcohol for him to watch over, wordlessly, Cas nodded at her in agreement. Then, flashing her a smile "They do." he confirmed "And if anyone is strong enough to resist the temptations, its you." Cas encouraged her and he meant every word of it. Cas just hoped Sam wouldn't find the bottle in his room.

The Jedi Knight watched his Padawan with laser-like focus as she concentrated on telepathically reading the number he was thinking of. After a few moments she guessed it, the corner of his mouth twitched as he stifled a smile. She had gotten it right but he wanted to mess with her first, and a frown came in place of a smile "No. That isn't right." he lied, folding his arms and displaying a perfectly replicated frown that Sakadi would give him every week back when he was a Padawan.

Not even a second later, Cas' lips quirked into a smile as he snorted "I'm kidding, you got it! Great job, Yen!" with his little screw around over with. The Jedi scratched at his temple with his gloved hand "Uhh, I guess I'd better teach you to convey telepathic thoughts now too, huh?" he really hadn't made a concrete lesson plan on Force-related stuff, so, he cheated and thought back to his own lessons - hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it. "Alright, try and place a word in my mind. A simple one, like 'yes' or 'no' or 'burgers'... but focus solely on that, do not let your mind wander when you're projecting your thoughts. I embarrassed myself the first time I tried it and, man, was it awkward for the next few weeks. So, please... don't accidentally reveal to me any dark secrets you have." Cas pleaded with his last sentence before letting out a long sigh "Okay, hit me. Same principles as before but except focus on what you wanna say to me. Cool?"

Yenna

 

[Yenna]

She greatly appreciated his reassuring words and confidence in her... but she didn't trust herself. She had doubts and worries, emotions that he would easily be able to pick up on. But the thoughts were shoved aside as they continued with their lesson. Her confidence faltered immediately when he flatly stated that she was wrong. She looked at him with shock. She was so sure of herself and her abilities! But then came the smirk and his answer. A frown appeared on her face as she used the force to hurl a pebble against his chest. "Stress, you made me!" she called out, but her frown quickly turned into a snicker as she took the joke in. Sometimes it was hard to figure out who the bigger prankster was between them.

He moved on with the lesson, explaining to her how to project thoughts towards someone. She pulled her datapad out and made notes on it in her little folder of force abilities. "Cool!" she declared as she slipped it back into her pocket and focused on him again. Her golden eyes bored into his own brown eyes as she focused solely on him. After a few seconds, she projected a thought that was quickly reinforced as her stomach growled. Her focus faltered as a laugh bubbled from her. "Sorry! Help it, I can't! Hungry here, I am getting." she admitted as she tried to recompose herself. "Get something to eat, why don't we. Come back again, we can. A nice spot, this is." she suggested as she walked towards him. Lunch would be perfect now.

All the fun thoughts and joking aside, her mind was dead set on it. Her last, glorious bottle of Tihaar was going to go straight into his apartment without her having any idea of where it was. She was tempted to break the seal and just take one good swig of it before saying goodbye, but immediately she shoved those thoughts aside as she took a swig of her flask. It was going to be a very hard journey. Not just for her, but for him and their relationship too. She knew what was going to happen and it wasn't going to be pretty. But at least this time she had proper friends to support her as well as an entire order that would potentially be able to help her out.

Cadere